Various types of carriers have been revealed in the patent arts and have been used commercially for assembling a predetermined number of containers, often six in number, for carrying of the containers. Typically, six cans may be carried together, and in a preferred form of package there is a sheet of plastic having six apertures therein respectively slightly less in diameter than the cans, so that the plastic material is stretched about the respective cans in generally inverted conical shape, thus securely underlying the can beads to prevent undesired withdrawal of the cans. As is known, a lateral movement of a can stretches the respective encircling band so that the can can be tipped from carrying position. Such carriers are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,874,835 and 3,874,502. Larger numbers of cans have been handled by similar carriers, see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,331 shows a carrier of the type in question for 12 cans.
Under some circumstances a package of 12 cans may be somewhat unstable or difficult to carry, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,308 there is shown and described a plastic encircling band which circumscribes the 12 cans and holds them in close contiguous relation. The band is provided with a handle for carrying of the 12 pack.